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<title>Hope In The Darkest Place by NervousAliceCurious</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468594">Hope In The Darkest Place</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious'>NervousAliceCurious</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ETNuary [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Escape the Night (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ETNuary, F/M, Old Friends Return, the dark dimension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:53:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>434</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex ruminates on his death. And then gets an interesting visit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Engineer | Lauren Riihimaki/The Novelist | Alex Wassabi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ETNuary [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hope In The Darkest Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Late Alex Day!!</p>
<p>Cw: Knife violence.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>…So that didn’t end the greatest-</p>
<p>But I’m not…too upset.</p>
<p>At least I’m going to get to see Lauren again…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Sometimes, hopes…just stay hopes.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I…did not go see that glowing white tunnel everyone talks about at the end of the road.</p>
<p>I just lay there.</p>
<p>In pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Waiting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For like…</p>
<p>Forever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>..................................</p>
<p>“Alex?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>….</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can’t tell if you’re asleep, or deader than what I’m used to”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…Ouch.</p>
<p>That was the driest roast-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…Hold on”.</p>
<p>I try to move…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yeahhhh….</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Feels like I got hit by a truck-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or-stabbed by a guy in a skull face with a very sharp knife.</p>
<p>…Probably was actually a dagger-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…Need a hand?”</p>
<p>“-That would be good, thanks-“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The hand is cold.</p>
<p>Not freezing, but-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s hard to explain.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m touching wax.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks”.</p>
<p>“It was nothing”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>….They’re very short.</p>
<p>Like-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You know how tall Rosanna is?</p>
<p>(Never met her, but I’ve heard her show is good-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This kid is <strong>shorter.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m Alex Wassabi, the Novelist”.</p>
<p>“…Death”.</p>
<p>“Oh-?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Should I be concerned?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re Death”.</p>
<p>“Yes”.</p>
<p>“You’re going to take me to the Afterlife?”</p>
<p>“Not yet”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…The Hope thing.</p>
<p><em>Really</em> wants me to throw in the towel, huh?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not yet?”</p>
<p>“Not everyone is here, yet”.</p>
<p>“What do you mean by-“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everyone?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“-They mean that Jesse still has to show up, I think”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They’re not alone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Two bodyguards, maybe, and one is this lady in a shimmery dress, the other, a man in a professor’s jacket.</p>
<p>She’s currently giving him the cold shoulder.</p>
<p>He has the look of someone who is permanently exasperated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who are you guys?”</p>
<p>“I’m Matt Haag, and that’s Lele Pons”.</p>
<p>“-I can speak for myself-“</p>
<p>“Thought you weren’t gonna talk to me”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>….</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They sure sound like friends.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nice”.</p>
<p>“Yeah”.</p>
<p>“………..”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Death…has no reaction.</p>
<p>To any of this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“-What were you saying about Jesse?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Last I’d heard Gabbie had traded in his life for DeStorm’s during Ms. Jorogumo’s challenge-trap.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He’s the only one left to appear”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Appear?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I’m trying to figure what-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What does that mean?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They lift their giant scythe, and swing it through the air, clearing away the thickly-translucent smoke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>A portal crackles somewhere in the distance-</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It means that I won’t be bringing you anywhere until the last member of your ill-fated party is assembled”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Assembled?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Does that-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Possibly-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is Lauren there?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My heart<em> leaps.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thank Heavens, I can’t wait to see her-!!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Death gives me a funny look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…Do I have something in my teeth?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They shake their head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Phew”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…This is <em>one</em> reunion I won’t do wrong.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>...........................When Death thinks he isn’t watching, they frown.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>456 Vs. 434 Words.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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